Depends for me. I will wait two years and see what Nikon and Canon have to offer in the crop sensor line of cameras. I picked up a Mark IV and will use it two years. Then if Canon has a good crop camera that is not crippled with AF and IQ. I will buy it. Or move to Nikon if they have a good camera for my needs. I want the DR that Nikon cameras offer. At this point I am willing to give up there excellent telephoto lenses for a better camera. I have a friend that shoots Nikon with the 500 mm lens and the cameras from Nikon are really giving him room to improve. Even if my lens is sharper it is not noticeable. And there sensors are better IMO for birding and wildlife in general.

So lets see if I understand this... The 7D2 MIGHT be 21 megapixels, or it MIGHT be 24, or it could possibly be 18. And the 70D MIGHT have one of those sensors.... or it could be something else.....

Yeah, I know... sounds like a company that knows what it is doing, doesn't it?

Actually, it DOES! Really! You don't just crank out a any old new sensor because you have some competition. You prototype, experiment, test a few models, tweak & refine, and eventually produce a solid, stable, final product that consumers will be happy purchasing. Canon had multiple prototype 1D X models out in the field for nearly a year (and quite probably more than a year, if they had them out before the paper announcement) before they finally settled on one. If they are trying to make the 7D line a higher grade professional line, it is NOT surprising if they are testing multiple prototypes with multiple sensor designs.

That said...these ARE just RUMORS. Canon has not actually announced ANYTHING! Regardless of how many rumors people fling about, no one even knows for sure what Canon is actually doing. So, dilbert..you can't really apply the "chaos" you are trying to use AGAINST Canon as their ACTUAL mode of operation, now can you?

I wonder if it will be a new process with modern levels of low ISO DR or not.If not, then I'd be fearing for even the 5D4 to get such a sensor.

I would expect the Big MP camera to get the DR boost. The 7D has always been an action photography camera, and with a bump up to 10fps and a better AF system (crosses fingers), I suspect it will attract even more action shooters. We tend to shoot at higher ISO rather than lower ISO, so I can see Canon focusing on that end of things more than high performance low ISO DR. At least, for this particular sensor.

That said, I agree, I do hope this is Canon's first 180nm process sensor. Would be nice to see some real-world evidence they are ready to move to a new process, and start making more efficient use of their silicon (i.e. larger light-sensitive photodiode area -> greater full well capacity -> lower noise/better SNR at high ISO.)

For me to buy a 7DII, sensor performance will need to be greatly improved. I don't care about being able to push an underexposed shot 5-stops, it's just not the way I shoot. I do want better tonal transitions and cleaner low and high ISO performance. The thing that stands out to me is how "durable" APS-H and FF Canon raw files seem to be compared to APS-C files. My 7D files require more sharpening and more overall PP compared to FF raw files, and that's understood, but when I do PP aggressively, the images start to fall apart pretty fast. If that can be improved, I'll stick with APS-C because I'm still reach limited, otherwise, I'll keep my 7D and add a FF body....

The biggest factor there is the simple fact that larger sensors gather more light at each photodiode, thanks to larger photodiode area. Area is the the thing that really matters, and FF sensors have quite a bit more. An improvement in quantum efficiency would help as well. Canon sensors have reached around 47% or so, however other manufacturers have been well into the 50% range, some even pushing 60%, over the last few years. If Canon could improve Q.E., and apply some active cooling to control dark current noise, the tiny pixels of 20-25mp APS-C sensors could become significantly more efficient, resulting in much better high ISO noise performance.

M.ST

It´s time that Canon reduces the price of the 5D Mark III around 2000 bucks and put a FF camera between the 5D Mark III and 1D X on the market that is worth the money you pay for it. I need a better IQ in the range ISO 50 to ISO 800.

18 MP. 21 MP. 24 MP. Even 15 MP. Frankly, I don't especially care. If it does a full stop or more better in terms of high ISO noise performance for RAW images vs. the 7D, a 7DII will be interesting to me. If not, no interest.

1. If a camera is due for release in the next six months, they wouldn't be making decisions about what is going to be in the camera. They know already and have already made that decision. If they haven't then the camera will take longer than 6 months to come to market.

It´s time that Canon reduces the price of the 5D Mark III around 2000 bucks and put a FF camera between the 5D Mark III and 1D X on the market that is worth the money you pay for it. I need a better IQ in the range ISO 50 to ISO 800.

A price drop in the 5D3 would be most welcome.

However, a new sensor would make the 70D a very interesting proposition.

You just don't understand what matters to Canon :-p ... the 5d3 with 22mp is *better* than the 20mp 6d because it has 2mp more, and that gives Canon the freedom to put the 21mp 7d2 where they want it to be in (automated) tech comparisons: Between the pro 5d3 and the amateur 6d. Maybe the 70d will have 19mp?

It´s time that Canon reduces the price of the 5D Mark III around 2000 bucks and put a FF camera between the 5D Mark III and 1D X on the market that is worth the money you pay for it. I need a better IQ in the range ISO 50 to ISO 800.

Amen to that, esp. since you know the Canon gear. But of course it won't happen now that the 6d is out, or Canon gets really bold and prices the full frame 60d where it should belong - at say €1300.

So lets see if I understand this... The 7D2 MIGHT be 21 megapixels, or it MIGHT be 24, or it could possibly be 18. And the 70D MIGHT have one of those sensors.... or it could be something else.....

Yeah, I know... sounds like a company that knows what it is doing, doesn't it?

I love it when this site gets interpreted as if the url is canonfacts.com

ALL OF THIS STUFF IS SPECULATION PEOPLE. HEAR SAY. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE. A DUMPING GROUND FOR PROTOTYPE SPECS THAT WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. THIS SITE IS FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT - THAT'S IT. STOP BASING YOUR HAPPINESS OFF OF WHAT YOU READ HERE.